Fly Rod Set Ups

Got the chance yesterday to go get some hands on feel for a fly rod set up . being totally new to this , which this will be my first one , and can't believe I have waited this long !!! The gentleman that was helping me is a avid fly man , and instructor for fly fishing (which I thought was good) . We played with all sorts of brands ,mix and match rods and reals , and he even pulled out his personal arsinol of set ups (14 of them) for me to try . Some of them were like broom sticks , buggy whips and some forget it . Then it happened !!! WOW !!! It felt like a extension of my arm !!! I was told I'm a natural , OK I guess ? 2 rod lengths pulled out 1/2 hitched and turned loose , Had no clue but guess my casting caidance was perfect . could put the bug on the trash can lid consistantly , then we went 4 rod lengths same thing , I had no clue to what the h### i was doing but I guess it was all good . Scott said I didn't even once look behind me to see where the line and bug were , guess that was good as well . He said that is one of the hardest things he has to work with when teaching new people how to cast , said it was a natural thing for some to watch the line instead of the target point ? Going to go with a 9' 6# 4pc and a reel one size bigger ( for a 7-8# rod ) . Can't wait to get it !!! The goal is to beat my PB Walleye out of the river on a fly rod . Also was told this will become a ADDICTION as well , great :beat-up: !?!?

OH HELL YOU WENT AND DID IT NOW!!!!!!!!! If you made it through NOT looking at where your back cast was going you were doing good but your in the open right now wait till you get near the stream or out in a boat LOL

Always look whats behind you FIRST!!! And wait for the first time you cast in the wind!!! Sooner or later you'll come close to getting yourself with a hook and we've all done it LOL

The tying you've got pretty well set except you're gonna have to learn to tie on alot smaller hooks.

Enjoy the new madness!!!!!!!!!

What brand rod did you go with? 6wt rod should be good, you can have fun catching just about any size fish but shooting for a 8-10 lb. 'eye will test your gear! That heavier rod will also help alot with heavier flies. I am dangerous at casting so i always wear a hat to lessen the pain as the fly bounces off my head. :beat-up: The reel to me is just a line holder..... i set the drag very light and palm the reel to control a running fish but i think that may just be my preference.

Walleye flies..... hmm. Deep Clouser, Double Bunny, Leeches ......? Not much help since i have only ever caught one on a fly and it was about 6" long. Did catch it on a #10 clouser tho.

Oh yes you DO want to pay attention what is behind you. I broke my FR tip once when i hung in a tree behind me on a cast. Fishing for squirrel is NOT a good idea. Learn how to roll cast. It is great for using weightless or slightly weighted flies when you have something behind you - not the best for heavy weight flies though.

"....Also was told this will become a ADDICTION as well...."
I bet if you moved to Canada you would become addicted to Ice Fishing or if you moved to Florida it would be saltwater. I would call your general addiction..... fishing.

Relax and enjoy it! I know it brings me much enjoyment and peace!

Sage Vantage and Lamson Guru #3

I need to get more serious - the roll cast is a life saver! Think you will really enjoy the fly fishing & catching with your custom tye...

Congrats on buying your first fly rods!!! I love to fly fish and if you have a rod that becomes part of you then you will enjoy it very much.. I have 9 rods now I got to use my bamboo rod while fishing in January that I been working on and man that rod comes alive!!! Here is a pic of the rod in action, not a good pic but you can see the rod at work.. Enjoy your fly fishing..

The quality , craftsmanship , warranty . The main thing , it felt right , weight balance , action .

A south paw ! Nice picture , looks relaxing .

If it don't feel comfortable it's just gonna wear your arm out, and you won't stick with it. We don't have alot of shops here in Vermont but my shop I go to "The Fly Rod Shop" has a large pond next to it. He's got extra's so that you can take your reel in with you and slap it on then take it out to the pond and try it!!! Not many of those left!!!

Crappiejgr said:

The quality , craftsmanship , warranty . The main thing , it felt right , weight balance , action .

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Yep, that is definitely "the main thing". Always pick the rod that feels best to you, not what somebody else likes.

Good luck with the long rod. I've got a fly trip scheduled in a few weeks -- going for tarpon and snook!

deathb4disco said:

Good luck with the long rod. I've got a fly trip scheduled in a few weeks -- going for tarpon and snook!

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..............and now I kind of hate you! Have fun and take lots of pics!

quivira kid said:

deathb4disco said:

I've got a fly trip scheduled in a few weeks -- going for tarpon and snook!

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..............and now I kind of hate you! Have fun and take lots of pics!

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No sh!t - hope you throw up a report or at least a picture or two. :exclamation: TARPON :exclamation: What WT rod are you taking to battle those?

Zac

Your always talking panfish and now you're going for the BIG BOYS!!!!!!!!!!! X2 with Attica we want some pictures of that buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These are "baby" tarpon (under 50 pounds), so I'll be using 7 and 8wt rods.

This is "mixed bag" fishing in the Florida mangroves. It's very fun -- all topwater and streamer fishing. You never know what you're gonna catch. Snook are the main species, but you also get jacks, red snapper, mackerel, ladyfish and tarpon. Two years ago, I had a 250# bull shark chase my fly!

AtticaFish said:

... hope you throw up a report or at least a picture or two.

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OK, I'm a little late, but here are some pics of the Florida trip plus a nice grass carp I got on the long pole. As I mention in the link, we had some WET weather in Florida. I got a lot of small snook and lost a monster. We saw several pods of baby tarpon, but we could not get them to hit. Still, I always enjoy my trips to Florida!

http://bnkjangler.blogspot.com/

Looks like a fun trip with some nice fish caught. Congrats!

Looks like a great trip!!!!!!!